Set Theory Commons^™

Experience Of A Noyce-Student Learning Assistant In An Inquiry-Based Learning Class, Melissa Riley

Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

This presentation refers to an undergraduate course called introduction to abstract mathematics at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. During the academic year 2017-2018, undergraduate, mathematics student Melissa Riley was a Noyce-student learning assistant for the Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) section of the course. She assisted the faculty-in-charge with all aspects of the course. These included: materials preparation, class organization, teamwork, class leading, presentations, and tutoring. This presentation shall address some examples of how the IBL approach can be used in this type of class including: the structure of the course, the activities and tasks performed by the students, learning ...

Elementary Set Theory, Richard P. Millspaugh

Open Educational Resources

This text is appropriate for a course that introduces undergraduates to proofs. The material includes elementary symbolic logic, logical arguments, basic set theory, functions and relations, the real number system, and an introduction to cardinality. The text is intended to be readable for sophomore and better freshmen majoring in mathematics.

The source files for the text can be found at https://github.com/RPMillspaugh/SetTheory

Tutte-Equivalent Matroids, Maria Margarita Rocha

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

We begin by introducing matroids in the context of finite collections of vectors from a vector space over a specified field, where the notion of independence is linear independence. Then we will introduce the concept of a matroid invariant. Specifically, we will look at the Tutte polynomial, which is a well-defined two-variable invariant that can be used to determine differences and similarities between a collection of given matroids. The Tutte polynomial can tell us certain properties of a given matroid (such as the number of bases, independent sets, etc.) without the need to manually solve for them. Although the Tutte ...

Selective Strong Screenability, Isaac Joseph Coombs

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Screenability and strong screenability were both introduced some sixty years ago by R.H. Bing in his paper Metrization of Topological Spaces. Since then, much work has been done in exploring selective screenability (the selective version of screenability). However, the corresponding selective version of strong screenability has been virtually ignored. In this paper we seek to remedy this oversight. It is found that a great deal of the proofs about selective screenability readily carry over to proofs for the analogous version for selective strong screenability. We give some examples of selective strongly screenable spaces with the primary example being Pol ...

The Structure Of Models Of Second-Order Set Theories, Kameryn J. Williams

All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation is a contribution to the project of second-order set theory, which has seen a revival in recent years. The approach is to understand second-order set theory by studying the structure of models of second-order set theories. The main results are the following, organized by chapter. First, I investigate the poset of T-realizations of a fixed countable model of ZFC, where T is a reasonable second-order set theory such as GBC or KM, showing that it has a rich structure. In particular, every countable partial order embeds into this structure. Moreover, we can arrange so that these embedding preserve ...

Distributive Lattice Models Of The Type C One-Rowed Weyl Group Symmetric Functions, William Atkins

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

We present two families of diamond-colored distributive lattices – one known and one new – that we can show are models of the type C one-rowed Weyl symmetric functions. These lattices are constructed using certain sequences of positive integers that are visualized as filling the boxes of one-rowed partition diagrams. We show how natural orderings of these one-rowed tableaux produce our distributive lattices as sublattices of a more general object, and how a natural coloring of the edges of the associated order diagrams yields a certain diamond-coloring property. We show that each edge-colored lattice possesses a certain structure that is associated with ...

Introduction To Game Theory: A Discovery Approach, Jennifer Firkins Nordstrom

Linfield Authors Book Gallery

Game theory is an excellent topic for a non-majors quantitative course as it develops mathematical models to understand human behavior in social, political, and economic settings. The variety of applications can appeal to a broad range of students. Additionally, students can learn mathematics through playing games, something many choose to do in their spare time! This text also includes an exploration of the ideas of game theory through the rich context of popular culture. It contains sections on applications of the concepts to popular culture. It suggests films, television shows, and novels with themes from game theory. The questions in ...

Transfinite Ordinal Arithmetic, James Roger Clark

All Student Theses

Following the literature from the origin of Set Theory in the late 19th century to more current times, an arithmetic of finite and transfinite ordinal numbers is outlined. The concept of a set is outlined and directed to the understanding that an ordinal, a special kind of number, is a particular kind of well-ordered set. From this, the idea of counting ordinals is introduced. With the fundamental notion of counting addressed: then addition, multiplication, and exponentiation are defined and developed by established fundamentals of Set Theory. Many known theorems are based upon this foundation. Ultimately, as part of the conclusion ...

Joint Laver Diamonds And Grounded Forcing Axioms, Miha Habič

All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In chapter 1 a notion of independence for diamonds and Laver diamonds is investigated. A sequence of Laver diamonds for κ is joint if for any sequence of targets there is a single elementary embedding j with critical point κ such that each Laver diamond guesses its respective target via j. In the case of measurable cardinals (with similar results holding for (partially) supercompact cardinals) I show that a single Laver diamond for κ yields a joint sequence of length κ, and I give strict separation results for all larger lengths of joint sequences. Even though the principles get strictly ...

Classification Of Vertex-Transitive Structures, Stephanie Potter

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

When one thinks of objects with a significant level of symmetry it is natural to expect there to be a simple classification. However, this leads to an interesting problem in that research has revealed the existence of highly symmetric objects which are very complex when considered within the framework of Borel complexity. The tension between these two seemingly contradictory notions leads to a wealth of natural questions which have yet to be answered.

Borel complexity theory is an area of logic where the relative complexities of classification problems are studied. Within this theory, we regard a classification problem as an ...

The Classification Problem For Models Of Zfc, Samuel Dworetzky

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Models of ZFC are ubiquitous in modern day set theoretic research. There are many different constructions that produce countable models of ZFC via techniques such as forcing, ultraproducts, and compactness. The models that these techniques produce have many different characteristics; thus it is natural to ask whether or not models of ZFC are classifiable. We will answer this question by showing that models of ZFC are unclassifiable and have maximal complexity. The notions of complexity used in this thesis will be phrased in the language of Borel complexity theory.

In particular, we will show that the class of countable models ...

Combinatorial Polynomial Hirsch Conjecture, Sam Miller

HMC Senior Theses

The Hirsch Conjecture states that for a d-dimensional polytope with n facets, the diameter of the graph of the polytope is at most n-d. This conjecture was disproven in 2010 by Francisco Santos Leal. However, a polynomial bound in n and d on the diameter of a polytope may still exist. Finding a polynomial bound would provide a worst-case scenario runtime for the Simplex Method of Linear Programming. However working only with polytopes in higher dimensions can prove challenging, so other approaches are welcome. There are many equivalent formulations of the Hirsch Conjecture, one of which is the Combinatorial ...

The Density Topology On The Reals With Analogues On Other Spaces, Stuart Nygard

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

A point x is a density point of a set A if all of the points except a measure zero set near to x are contained in A. In the usual topology on ℝ, a set is open if shrinking intervals around each point are eventually contained in the set. The density topology relaxes this requirement. A set is open in the density topology if for each point, the limit of the measure of A contained in shirking intervals to the measure of the shrinking intervals themselves is one. That is, for any point x and a small enough interval ...

Development Of Utility Theory And Utility Paradoxes, Timothy E. Dahlstrom

Lawrence University Honors Projects

Since the pioneering work of von Neumann and Morgenstern in 1944 there have been many developments in Expected Utility theory. In order to explain decision making behavior economists have created increasingly broad and complex models of utility theory. This paper seeks to describe various utility models, how they model choices among ambiguous and lottery type situations, and how they respond to the Ellsberg and Allais paradoxes. This paper also attempts to communicate the historical development of utility models and provide a fresh perspective on the development of utility models.

Mathematical Reasoning And The Inductive Process: An Examination Of The Law Of Quadratic Reciprocity, Nitish Mittal

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This project investigates the development of four different proofs of the law of quadratic reciprocity, in order to study the critical reasoning process that drives discovery in mathematics. We begin with an examination of the first proof of this law given by Gauss. We then describe Gauss’ fourth proof of this law based on Gauss sums, followed by a look at Eisenstein’s geometric simplification of Gauss’ third proof. Finally, we finish with an examination of one of the modern proofs of this theorem published in 1991 by Rousseau. Through this investigation we aim to analyze the different strategies used ...

Exploring Argumentation, Objectivity, And Bias: The Case Of Mathematical Infinity, Ami Mamolo

OSSA Conference Archive

This paper presents an overview of several years of my research into individuals’ reasoning, argumentation, and bias when addressing problems, scenarios, and symbols related to mathematical infinity. There is a long history of debate around what constitutes “objective truth” in the realm of mathematical infinity, dating back to ancient Greece (e.g., Dubinsky et al., 2005). Modes of argumentation, hindrances, and intuitions have been largely consistent over the years and across levels of expertise (e.g., Brown et al., 2010; Fischbein et al., 1979, Tsamir, 1999). This presentation examines the interrelated complexities of notions of objectivity, bias, and argumentation as ...

The Development Of Notation In Mathematical Analysis, Alyssa Venezia

Honors Thesis

The field of analysis is a newer subject in mathematics, as it only came into existence in the last 400 years. With a new field comes new notation, and in the era of universalism, analysis becomes key to understanding how centuries of mathematics were unified into a finite set of symbols, precise definitions, and rigorous proofs that would allow for the rapid development of modern mathematics. This paper traces the introduction of subjects and the development of new notations in mathematics from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century that allowed analysis to flourish. In following the development of analysis, we ...

On The Conjugacy Problem For Automorphisms Of Trees, Kyle Douglas Beserra

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis we identify the complexity of the conjugacy problem of automorphisms of regular trees. We expand on the results of Kechris, Louveau, and Friedman on the complexities of the isomorphism problem of classes of countable trees. We see in nearly all cases that the complexity of isomorphism of subtrees of a given regular countable tree is the same as the complexity of conjugacy of automorphisms of the same tree, though we present an example for which this does not hold.

Counting Convex Sets On Products Of Totally Ordered Sets, Brandy Amanda Barnette

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The main purpose of this thesis is to find the number of convex sets on a product of two totally ordered spaces. We will give formulas to find this number for specific cases and describe a process to obtain this number for all such spaces. In the first chapter we briefly discuss the motivation behind the work presented in this thesis. Also, the definitions and notation used throughout the paper are introduced here The second chapter starts with examining the product spaces of the form {1; 2; : : : ;n} × {1; 2}. That is, we begin by analyzing a two-row by n-column ...

My Finite Field, Matthew Schroeder

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

A love poem written in the language of mathematics.